WOULD YOU LIKE TO GROW YOUR SMALL CHURCH?

In America most church attendees go to a small to medium size church. In fact, according to Barna Research, Almost half (46%) attend a church of 100 or fewer members. However, when you ask any small church Pastor, “would you like to grow?” The answer is always a resounding, “YES!”

The path to small church growth is much harder to ascertain when searching for the correct message, method and the means, in layman terms “how do we go about it?” and “how do we pay for it?” Where do we turn? Seminars are most often conducted by mega-church Pastors who wish to share their secret sauce. Denominational resources are expensive and usually don’t fit the need of the small church.

Small church pastors think about family ties, past offences, financial woes and low volunteerism. No matter where you are – if you have a small church – you have hurdles, hurts and “how are we going to afford this?” However, with every hurdle, hurt and “how” there is a message, method and means.

MESSAGE – IT’S HIS WORK According to John 4:34  Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. FIND OUT WHAT GOD IS DOING AND DO IT. When we do our own work we can expect frustration and failure but when we do the work of God, it may be met with opposition and resistance but we will be ultimately satisfied in doing His work. As in this story of the women at the well there was only one woman to preach to and only one woman responded but God had a plan for the future. The increase is NOT in ONE but what is to be done WITH that ONE.

 

METHOD – BE REGIONAL John 4:35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. DON’T MEASURE YOUR MINISTRY BY THE SIZE OF YOUR CHURCH BUT BY THE NEED OF THE FIELD. Focusing on the inadequacies of the small church minimizes your ministry, focus on the field and maximize your ministry. You are not the Pastor of a small church but the Pastor of a region. Pray for the Mayor, the Police Chief, the city council and business people in your town. Your method isn’t determined by the size of your church but the size of your ministry.

 

MEANS – SOWERS AND REAPERS John 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. Not everyone does the same thing and not everyone has the same gift. Some will respond by volunteering for the project – others will give but not everyone will volunteer and not everyone will give. Some are workers and some are givers – some are sowers and some are reapers – all may rejoice together.

 

One woman responded but she went into town and many more responded, John 4:42  And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.  Counting numbers can be unduly frustrating – seeing people’s potential is rewarding. The complete harvest is waiting behind the one who is listening, learning and loving Jesus.

 

Copyright by Jim Laudell. Materials may not be copied, reproduced or distributed without the written permission of the author. You may share on Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media while giving credit to the author. This post should not be construed as medical, legal  or professional advice.